Dads & Their Kids Come Together With A Cooper & Kid Kit! #DadChat #cooperandkid

About the Kit
Cooper & Kid is on a mission to make Dads Cooler Than Moms. Impossible some say! They accomplish this with their Cooper Kit, a quarterly subscription box that provides men with a no-brainer, entertaining way to wow and bond with their kids. Every three months, they get a box artfully filled with themed projects that both dads and kids find cool.

Cooper Kits are huge and packed full with building and creativity activities, a bed-time storybook, dinner recipes, a character building discussion topic, lots of humor and more. Even the box turns into a toy!

Cooper Kit: It's THE subscription for modern dads.

My Take on the Kit


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Looking For Great Matching Games, Look No Further!

About the Games

Marvel Matching Game
A fun game of picture-matching!

The classic game of picture-matching now features Marvel Super Heroes! Flip over brightly colored tiles featuring Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America and many more Marvel heroic friends and villains. Pick up the most pairs to win!

Disney Princess Frozen Matching Game
A fun game of picture-matching!
It’s the classic game of picture-matching, now featuring your favorite characters from Frozen! Flip over brightly colored tiles and find beautiful pictures of sisters Anna and Elsa, plus friends Kristoff, Olaf, Sven and more. What familiar faces will you see?

Pick up the most matching pairs to win!


My Take on the Games
As you can see in the above pictures, we were very excited to try out these games. We jumped right into the Frozen matching game and waited on the Marvel one (at least at first). My first impression of these games was one of admiration in regards to the art that was on the cards. All of the cards are beautifully made and draw from the Frozen movie and the Marvel universe. These cards were heavy duty and allow you to have as long or as short of a game as you want to have. There are a ton of cards you can use for the memory game, but you can also cut this in half and still have a ton of fun. We ended up playing the game for over an hour and had a few games under our belt and my daughters wanted even more. I for one have to say that these are definitely games that I would highly recommend to all Frozen or Marvel Universe fans as the games were fun and well made. I know that our family will be using this for quite some time into the future!


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Celebrate Family with the Gallo Family Vineyards #CrestCreator

As the winery for all your families, Gallo Family Vineyards is proud to announce the launch of it's Crest Creator website at www.CrestCreator.com. This fun and interactive microsite offers a way to create, share and download personalized family crests for all your families, whether they include the people you’re related to, or simply the people that you relate to in life.

In a recent survey, Gallo Family Vineyards discovered that Americans have an average of three “found” families – not related by blood or marriage – in their lives Of these people, 76% of Americans believed that helping each other through tough times can make someone family, 74% noted understanding each other and another 74% felt relying on each other makes them family. Now, you and your readers can commemorate all of your found families and whatever bonds hold you together.

At CrestCreator.com, 17 different family crest templates can be customized with 300 icons and a personal motto offering a seemingly unending way to make your family official. The designs can be shared digitally via Facebook and Twitter and downloaded for family events. Through a partnership with Zazzle.com, the custom crests can be printed for purchase on a variety of objects, such as t-shirts and iPhone cases, making them an unforgettable personalized gift.



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Text-UR Foam Brings All Senses Into Play!

About the Book
Set aside those crayons and construction paper, it’s time for something totally different! text-UR® Foam from Fibre-Craft is the new craft item that brings craft foam to a whole new dimension. You’ll literally feel the fun by combining interesting textures with an added 3D element to make craft projects stand up and stand out!

Priced from $2.99 to $8.99 even kids on a budget can relish the art of making something with their hands, no drawing, coloring or painting required. Use the 3D space-urs™, which are peel and stick, stackable squares included in most text-UR Foam products to create an instant wow effect and make ordinary arts & crafts projects extraordinary. The 3D text-UR Foam sheets come in 6 bright colors and cool textures like Wavy, Scaly and Terry Cloth! Parents will quietly celebrate as kids unplug from their computers, TVs and hand-held gadgets to participate in this seemingly lost form of play. Concentration, dexterity, creativity and patience all come together when kids stop and sit down to create art. Maybe that's why there's art in this smart form of play. Look for Fibre-Craft's text-UR® Foam product kits at Michaels, Joann's, Meijer and A.C. Moore, and make sure to check out the text-UR® Foam website for fun product ideas.

My Take on the Book
Creative Hands has gone a step further in the foam product for creative arts with children. They have produced a foam product that has texture on the surface.

I enjoyed an afternoon using two kits that were sent to me with one of my daughters. She loves to use the foam shapes, so I knew this new product would create an enjoyable afternoon for her. The pieces are colorful. The shapes are all different so the child can create designs.

The first project was a turtle that once decorated would stand up. The directions were excellent. This 3-D project included small squares of sticky foam that you placed underneath the decorative pieces to create the 3-D effect. She was able to complete the project by herself once we viewed the directions together.

The next project included 6 cut out animals to decorate. I allowed her to decide how she wanted to decorate them, although there were suggestions for the designs. Some she created with the 3-D effect and some she left 2 dimensional. But this packet again produced success for her. The added feature for the second foam packet was it included magnets so she was hanging them on the refrigerator.

She was eager to show the rest of the family.
I would highly recommend these kits to adults who enjoy providing creative projects for their children.



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K'Nex New Building Sets Provide Fun For The Whole Family

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

K’NEX Angry Birds Red Planet Building Set: HOGS ON MARS

Now you can build and play in the world of Angry Birds Space! With the Hogs On Mars building set, you can actually build and destroy a level from the Angry Birds Space game! Launch Incredible Terence and Lightning Bird to defeat the evil Space pigs and destroy the Mars Rover. Includes a working launcher just like the game, enough parts to build and knock down, plus a bonus Space Egg. Everything included works with other K'NEX Angry Birds sets. You can even download instructions for an additional building idea. Perfect for builders ages 7+.

K’NEX Building Sets: Extreme Sports
Cool extreme sports builds will capture young builders’ imaginations! The Extreme Sports building set features 10 building ideas including a hang glider, jet skier, sky diver, sport bike rider and more. Build your own daring stunt man complete with the included helmet-head and then create an action-packed stunt of your own imagination for him to complete. Set also features full-color instructions and 250+ Classic K’NEX pieces including made in the USA rods & connectors. Suggested retail price is $17.99. Ages 7+. Available Fall 2013.

My Take on the Sets

Both of these sets were a ton of fun and whether you are a K'Nex fan or not these sets will make you a fan in no time. Both of these sets were completely different and engage you in different ways, but for me that was half the fun. My youngest daughter loves Angry Birds so she was excited about the first set. She loved the idea of being able to build something to then be able to knock it and the pigs down. The set was easy enough to build and break down and she and I had a blast playing with it, breaking it down, rebuilding it, etc.

My eldest daughter was more into the extreme sports. Now we did follow the instructions and made quite a few of the pieces that were shared, but we also made some of our own creations too. My camera was on the frits when we were doing this so I do not have images of those but will have to make some more in the future as we continue to try our hand at making extreme sports come to life.

All-in-all both of these were a ton of fun and engage different children in different ways which is great in my book. I for one hope to see even more variety coming out from K'Nex in the near future!

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Game Review - Laser Maze

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

About the Game
Laser Maze is the first logic game with a REAL LASER for ages 8 and up!

Played solo, Laser Maze inspires you to beam, bend and split a laser using mirrors and targets to match 60 challenges from beginner to expert. Parents love that it builds skills in logical deduction and visual perception – kids love the real laser and learning how to control it! It retails for $29.99. Check out our how to play video below to learn more.

• Logic game with a real laser
• 60 challenges from beginner to expert
• Builds sequential reasoning and planning skills
• From the makers of Rush Hour and the inventor of The Laser Game: Khet 2.0
• Puzzle challenges by world famous puzzle-creator Wei-Hwa Huang

My Take on the Game
This game was a ton of fun, and while a bit challenging, my daughter and I loved working through the logic puzzles making the laser do what I wanted we wanted it to do. The game took a little time to get used to, but one of the things that I loved outside of the game play itself was the scientific principles that the game shared as well. I could talk to my daughter while playing about refraction and reflection among other principles regarding how light works. Very few games allow for this type of interaction, and I for one was impressed and would definitely encourage others to also try it out for themselves too!

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Save Money At The Beach Waterpark This Summer!

The Beach Waterpark - Real Sand, Real Surf, Real Fun! The Watepark will open in May under new, expert management. The Beach Waterpark is situated on 35 acres of rolling wooded terrain which provides lots of shade and lush ambiance. At the park, enjoy real, live palm trees, white ocean sands, waterfalls and crashing waves to help set the scene for a lush, tropical, island adventure...yes, in Cincinnati! Enjoy rides designed for Real Thrill, Real Chill and Real Fun for Kids. We are adding over $5 Million in Renovations for the 2013 Season, plus we have a huge line-up of special events planned for the summer. Click Here for the coupon to save $5 Off Admission to The Beach Waterpark.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Crafts to Count Your Blessings from The Odd Life Of Timothy Green

This time of year is all about telling loved ones how much they mean to us and counting our blessings. Share this message with your children this weekend with crafts that are designed to help facilitate conversations about who and what we are thankful for in anticipation of seeing the recent release of Disney's THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN which came out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Platforms on December 4.

An easy to assemble Blessings Box made of cut paper and filled with a chocolate is a sweet way to express how much and why you appreciate a special person in your lives, making a great holiday gift kids can make for a coach, teacher or friend. Printable Wish Leaves help kids describe the kind of person they wish to be and can be used as a decorative reminder of their goals. During the holiday season, giving thanks is an important message and Leaf Behinds help kids give the gift of "Thanks" when they want to convey gratitude of good wishes to someone who has made a difference in their lives.



All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Game Review - Spot It Jr.! Animals

About the Game 
Just like the original and popular Spot it!, but simplified for younger children, Spot it! Jr. Animals is a wonderful new addition to every family’s game closet. This captivating card game is an ideal break from video games and toys that rely on batteries to keep them running. With over 200 five-star reviews and ranked as the top selling card game for a year on Amazon, Spot it! has proved to be a best seller. After 12 years in the game business, Blue Orange has done it again by creating a version of its popular Spot it! game just for the little ones. Let the animal safari begin!

Spot it! Jr. Animals features 31 brightly colored cards with six different animal images on each card. With only one matching animal between any two cards, this delightful visual perception game is really fun for all kinds of kids, even with various ability levels. Included are 5 different party games to keep everyone entertained.

Spot it! Jr. Animal’s laminated, durable and eco-friendly cards are packaged in a sturdy tin canister, the perfect size for playing at home, stuffing into a backpack, and ideal for the family on the go. We know that video games, laser guns, remote-controlled cars and plastic ponies are also in the mix, but the more time away from these, the better!

“We love making back-to-basic games,” says Julian Mayot, co-founder and CEO of Blue Orange Games. “I think everyone finds that summer is the perfect time to simplify life— and because our games can be played almost anywhere, Spot it! Jr. Animals is a terrific and welcome escape from electronic games and gadgets.”

Children are natural learners and will love spotting the animals and matching them in this fast-paced game. Designed for children 4 and up, and for 2 to 6 players. Spot it! Jr. Animals can be bought online for $9.99 through Amazon.com, www.games.blueorangegames.com, or in stores across the country that carry Blue Orange products.

Spot it! is already a category leader —frequently #1 in the card game space, and #5 in general games on Amazon.com, in addition to winning over 10 influential industry awards since it hit the shelves in 2010. Spot it! has collected over 200 five-star reviews from happy customers on Amazon.com.

Spot it! Jr. Animals, a new edition “collectible” game is part of the Blue Orange Games Pocket Collection that will keep parents and their “wild things” discovering their inner animal for years to come—no binoculars required!

My Take on the Game
My kids love the original Spot It Game, so they were excited when they heard of a few new Spot It Games that were now on the market. This Spot it, is made specifically for younger players and their families. I appreciated this because my youngest has had to work harder to keep up when it comes to the original and travel Spot It! games that we have had in the past. The game is easy enough and encourages all to stay alert and encourages quick thinking. I love this game as a father because the game itself is interactive and engaging. I also love how easy this game is to transport, so no matter where you are going, this game simply slips into your bag for easy transport! The pictures on the cards are so colorful and vivid I could tell at once that my youngest was drawn to them and she truly enjoyed playing this game with me. Overall this is a great addition to the Spot It! line of games and as a dad I have to saw thank you for making a version of the game for younger audiences, my daughter and I completely appreciate it!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Game Review - Spot it! On the Road Travel Game

About the Game
Remember how fun it was to play games on those long summer car trips? Chances are you broke up the monotony by checking out how many different states you could identify on license plates, and played “I Spy” or “Car Bingo.” Now kids have an awesome riff on these wonderful classics with Spot it! On the Road, a hot new card game from Blue Orange Games that’s sure to keep everyone entertained this summer.

Whether it’s a drive across town or a long trip to the cabin, Spot it! On the Road is a great alternative to video games and other gadgets, offering an easy and super-fun solution to backseat boredom.

Spot it! On the Road comes in a compact, travel-size tin consisting of 55 circular cards, each designed with eight different, but common “road” symbols— such as an airplane, mailbox, billboard, bridge, or fire hydrant. The rules are simple: place all the cards facedown in a pile. One card is turned over and all the players move quickly to find the roadside match. The first to spot the match wins the card, and when the cards run out, whoever has the most cards wins! Included are 5 different party games to keep everyone entertained.

“While there have always been car games, Spot it! On the Road is a fantastic take on the best of them all -- an instant classic.” says Julian Mayot, cofounder and CEO of Blue Orange Games, “Having a game the whole family can play together is a lot more fun than playing a video game by yourself”.

With a number of ways to play the game—all rooted in the same basic strategy, Spot it! On the road is fun for the entire family, a must have for everyone’s game closet. Spot it! develops visual recognition and matching skills, as well as requiring quick mental processing.

Spot it! On the Road can be played by 2 to 8 players, and though it’s designed for ages 7 and up, there is no reading involved. Priced at $12.99, Spot it! On the Road is part of the Blue Orange pocket collection and can be purchased online through Amazon, www.games.blueorangegames.com or in stores across the country that carry Blue Orange products.

My Take on the Game
My kids love the original Spot It Game, so they were excited when they heard of a few new Spot It Games that were now on the market. This Spot it, allows you to have a blast in the car with symbols that you may see along the way from destination to destination. The game is easy enough and encourages all to stay alert and encourages quick thinking. I love this game as a father because the game itself is interactive and engaging. I also love how easy this game is to transport, so no matter where you are going, this game simply slips into your bag for easy transport! My kids love it because they like to see if they are faster than their dad (sometimes they are). All-in-all this is a great addition to the Spot It! line of games!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Product Review - Busytown Eye Found It Game

About the Game
Join Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm on a fun-filled race through the bustling city, farm, airport, and harbor of Richard Scarry's Busytown. Whenever a Goldbug card appears, team up to hunt for hidden objects on the gigantic, vibrantly illustrated game board. Everybody works together and gets a chance to say, "I found it!"

Learning fun: 

• Teamwork
• Observation skills
• Object identification and matching 

Product Contents

• 1 Game Board in three sections 
• 4 Movers 
• 4 Mover Bases 
• 1 Spinner 
• 1 Ferry Tile 
• 10 Magnifying Glass Tokens 
• 6 Food Tiles 
• 30 Goldbug Cards 
• 1 Sand Timer 
• 1 Game Rules Manual 

My Take on the Game
This Busytown Eye Found It Game was amazing! It has been a long time since I found a game that was so much fun for the whole family and encouraged total teamwork instead of competition between players. On top of this, I also loved the fact that it encouraged you to really search for items, and each time you played the game you tend to find more and more of the items because you become more familiar with the game board itself. We have played this game now many times and it never gets old. If you have a busytown fan in your family have not picked up this game yet, you need to go out and pick it up today. This is definitely the type of game that you want your kids to play! I highly encourage the scheme to any family that I know my family is now hooked and we are huge fans!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Game Review - Spot It!

About the Game
Spot It is truly amazing! There is always one and only one matching symbol between any two cards. Spot it and you win. With 5 different ways to play and brilliant game mechanics, this game has fans everywhere hooked and has won 12 best toy awards. Half a million of Spot It have been sold through specialty toy stores alone in just 18 months!

To learn more, click HYPERLINK "http://blueorangegames.com/spotit-pg.php" here.

About Blue Orange Games
With 10 years experience creating high quality games, exquisitely designed for maximum fun, Blue Orange Games looks to the future with consistent ideals.

Using durable materials, Blue Orange pledges to produce high quality, eco-friendly games.

As always, they remain committed to planting two trees for each one used in game construction.
They are proud of our classic games that have consistently earned recognition from retailers, players and the game industry.

My Take on the Game
This game was so much fun! Easy to learn and play it is fun for the whole family! It is fast paced and fun and I found that there were smile and laughs between all of our family as we played this game. What I loved too though was that the game itself was so much more than just a family game and even my wife and I enjoyed playing it together too. This is the type of game that you can just take and go wherever you want to and know that you will have a blast along the way!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Smithsonian Jigsaw Puzzle: An American Puzzle

About the Puzzle
Ages: 7+
Age Category: Family
Gather around with friends and family to re-create this Smithsonian masterpiece, one jigsaw piece at a time!

Discovery Bay Games is proud to partner with Smithsonian Institute, America’s national educational facility with 19 museums, 9 research centers and over 140 affiliate museums around the world.

My Take on the Puzzle
This was a great puzzle that challenges you visually and mentally. With the intricate melting colors and designs on the puzzle itself, know that this is not one that will be easy to put together. This puzzle will take you time and patience, but it is worth it. The imagery on the puzzle itself was stunning and the pieces of the puzzle were well crafted and interlocked well. If you are a person who loves putting puzzles together, you will love to have this one in your collection too!


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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The Name Chase® Historical Figures Edition

About the Game
Number of Players: 4
Ages: 12+
Age Category: Adult

Name Chase is a team trivia game that combines clues, facts, and fun with some of history’s most pivotal people. Presidents, authors, actors and outlaws are just some of the colorful characters and notable figures included.

Features:

• Informative and fun
• Features some of history’s most notable figures
• Great gift idea for the history buff in your life

My Take on the Game
This was a fun game that taught you so much about History! The game itself is for older children and adults, thus I cannot completely give you a sense on the ability of a younger child to grasp the concepts as it was my wife and I who tried out the game itself. J-Mom and I found the game to be a ton of fun, but it is challenging none-the-less. You may even find that the game may stump the best history buff in the family as it did on many occasions when J-Mom and I played. The game itself provided quite a lengthy game play which was nice and in many ways you get to be your own detective as you uncover the clues to the answers you are working to find. All-in-all, this was a great game for the whole family!



All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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